1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of sunshades and specifically to sunshades intended for use with an infant car seat. Even more specifically it relates to such sunshades which fold for storage and to adjust their coverage.
2. Background Information
The need to provide shade for infants while they are in strollers and car seats has long been known. This need has been reinforced by recent realization that even a single sunburn during infancy can have serious long term consequences in terms of increased skin cancer risk.
The task of providing a sunshade for an infant car seat is complicated by the need for the sunshade to fit within the confines of the car. This usually means that the sunshade must fit closely around the car seat. This may result in a sunshade which is confining to the infant and interferes with the task of placing the infant in and removing the infant from the car seat.
Further complicating this issue is the reality of how much a consumer is willing to pay. With the rapid growth rate of infants, a car seat may be in use for only one year or less. Combined with a perception that the sunshade may only be needed during the summer months, this results in the consumer needing a sunshade for only a few months. This significantly restricts the amount they are willing to pay.
Several attempts have been made to develop an inexpensive sunshade for car seats, many using folded cardboard or other sheet material. While functional and inexpensive, these designs often suffer from problems with structural integrity, ease of access, or visibility. One example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,433 to Purnell-Ayres. This is a simple folding sunshade with rear, top and side panels made of rubber. A significant lack in this sunshade is that there is no attachment between the side panels and the rear panel. The side panels are thus free to swing sideways and the top and sides are free to lift upward, especially in response to wind. This poses a risk to the infant since the sunshade could easily strike the infant in response to a gust of wind from an open window. Another design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,249 to Mattox. Here the sunshade has only side and top panels and is secured by inserting the panels between the cushions of the car seat. This appears to be reasonably secure, but offers no alternatives for increasing visibility, or reducing confinement, by opening or removing the side panel on the side where the sun is not shining. Further, the sunshade must be completely removed to place or remove the infant. A third design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,770 to Hassel. This is a sunshade which appears to be quite strong, but offers limited protection from the sides and has no allowance for adjustability and can only be moved out of the way by removing it from the car seat.
Many other designs exist but all seem to suffer from one or more of the following problems: poor structural integrity or a physical hazard to the infant; interference with placing the infant in the car seat; and lack of adjustability so that it provides protection from the direction of the sun while providing visibility in other directions. This last problem can be significant. Not only does increased visibility improve the experience for the infant, but also improves the ability of the caregiver to monitor the infant.
There is need for a sunshade which can be used with a wide variety of infant car seats, is inexpensive to manufacture, and solves the above problems. Specifically, it should move out of the way to provide access to the car seat and infant, adjust to provide protection where needed and visibility elsewhere, and be structurally sound in all configurations, with no loose elements which can strike the infant if windblown.